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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · court · stock · straw · last · bear · lie · cold

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. court — for sport
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. last — to go on
  6. lie — to recline
  7. last — final
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stock — shares
  11. last — finally
  12. stock — goods
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. suit — clothes
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. court — of law
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. court — of a king
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. suit — to fit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com